Fast boat festival is powering ahead at RCYC this July

An International Power Boat Festival will take place in Cork harbour and the waters off the Cork coast on July 11th and 12th.

The festival, which is a first for Ireland, is part of the Cork300 events series, which celebrates the Royal Cork Yacht Club’s (RCYC) 300th birthday (tricentenary) – the oldest yacht club in the world.

Four major, and very different, powerboat events will take place during the festival, three of which will be held in Ireland for the first time.  The RCYC is inviting a mix of classic boats from the past, along with solar and alternative energy boats of the future, and endurance offshore racing boats, to the event.

The festival will see the world-famous British International Harmsworth Trophy competed for once again in Cork. The trophy was first awarded at an event hosted by the RCYC exactly 117 years ago – on July 11th 1903. This was the first inter-nation powerboat race in the world.

A modern fleet of endurance offshore racing boats will also compete for the honour of being crowned UIM Offshore Marathon World Champion.  To honour Alfred C Harmsworth and those who established the original set of rules for the 1903 race where it was nation against nation, a specially-commissioned Nations trophy will also be awarded to the competitors whose nation has the overall best performance across all four classes in the UIM World Championship Offshore race.

In addition, the UIM Long Distance Cork-Fastnet-Cork World Record attempt will take place, and there will also be a Classic Motorboat Rally, where you can see classic and alternative energy boats.

Colin Morehead, chair of Cork300 and admiral of the RCYC said: ‘I am delighted to see the return of powerboat racing to Cork Harbour after many years. The Cork300 events series was developed to look back at where it all began and celebrate the Club and Cork harbour’s 300 years of history. We are proud to again host milestone historic events like the Harmsworth Trophy after so many years. It is incredible to think that Cork hosted the first inter-nation powerboat race in the world.  The entries this year will be considerably faster than those which raced in 1903,’ he said.

‘Sustainability is very important to the RCYC so we aim to honour the past, present and future of powerboating, and promote the use of alternative energy and classic boats.’ The festival is run in association with the Union International Motonautique UIM, the Powerboat Association of Northern Ireland, the Irish Powerboat Association, and the Trustees of the British International Harmsworth Trophy.